Wacky Washout for Retailers

Severe weather battered retail sales in June, setting the stage for bleak second-quarter earnings reports. But there are some exceptions.

By

Sandra Ward

Updated July 6, 2009 12:01 a.m. ET

SUMMER, IF THE CALENDAR IS TO BE BELIEVED, started two weeks ago.

The season of scorching sand and sultry nights, patios and poolsides, of sizzling grills and swizzle sticks seems lost this year to a wide swath of the country that has been cursed by cool temperatures, cloudy skies and drenching rains. Worst hit have been the Midwest and Northeast. The Southwest has been unseasonably cool as well. Summer finally showed up in the deep South and Southeast, but with a sweltering vengeance, accompanied by heat advisories discouraging...